Clothing Accessory

ABSTRACT

A clothing accessory having a first band adapted to be located around a person&#39;s upper arm, neck or thigh and a second band adapted to be located around the person&#39;s wrist when the first band is around the person&#39;s upper arm, around the person&#39;s upper arm when the first band is around the person&#39;s neck, or around the person&#39;s ankle when the first band is around the person&#39;s thigh. The ends of a chain or ribbon are connected to the first and second bands and at least one of the bands may have a pocket on an inside or outside surface.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a personal clothing accessory such as an ornamentation or a decoration and more specifically to such ornamentation or decoration which has two spaced apart members that are connected with a chain or a ribbon and are adapted to be located on two spaced apart parts of a person's body.

2. Description of Related Art

Clothing accessories such as an ornamentations or a decoration that is worn by a person is known in the prior art. More specifically, by way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,181,931 to White discloses jewelry that extends around the neck and waist and down the front and back of an individual.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,718,797 to Plumly discloses a neck accessory that enables a flexible bracelet to be worn as a necklace. Locket clasps are provided at the ends of the neck accessory to provide secure interconnection of the bracelet clasp ends with the neck accessory, while at the same time enclosing and obscuring from view the connection hardware.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,098,202 to Peck discloses a plurality of beads and/or trinkets coupled together to form an elongated, flexible, decorative member having a clasp at each end where the clasp can be attached to pants, skirt, etc. and the beads are suspended from the waist and worn on the hip or across the front or back of the wearer.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,644,935 to Jonovich, et al. discloses jewelry having a substantially closed circlet with a length and flexibility that allows it to be draped loosely around a person's thigh. The circlet includes a suspension member that is adapted to hang from an undergarment of the wearer.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,489,867 to Schwemberger discloses a band worn on a user's arm or wrist that has a short strap which carries a small item for occasional use such as a key.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is disclosed a clothing accessory having a first band adapted to be located around a person's upper arm, neck or thigh and a second band adapted to be located around the person's wrist when the first band is around the person's upper arm, around the person's upper arm when the first band is around the person's neck, or around the person's ankle when the first band is around the person's thigh. The ends of a chain or ribbon are connected to the first and second bands and at least one of the bands may have a pocket on an inside or outside surface.

The more important features of the invention have thus been outlined in order that the more detailed description that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may better be appreciated. Additional features of the invention will be described hereinafter and will form the subject matter of the claims that follow.

Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

The foregoing has outlined, rather broadly, the preferred feature of the present invention so that those skilled in the art may better understand the detailed description of the invention that follows. Additional features of the invention will be described hereinafter that form the subject of the claims of the invention. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that they can readily use the disclosed conception and specific embodiment as a basis for designing or modifying other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention and that such other structures do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention in its broadest form.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other aspects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description, the appended claim, and the accompanying drawings in which similar elements are given similar reference numerals.

FIG. 1 is a view of a clothing accessory that has a top band of fabric connected to a bottom band of fabric with a chain which may be of metal or of a plastic that has a silver, gold or colored finish in accordance with the principles of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a view of a clothing accessory that has a top band of fabric connected to a bottom band of fabric with a ribbon which may be plain or contain a slogan in accordance with the principles of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a view of the clothing accessory of FIG. 1 or 2 located on the arm and wrist of a person;

FIG. 4 is a view of the clothing accessory of FIG. 1 or 2 located on the neck and arm of a person; and

FIG. 5 is a view of the clothing accessory of FIG. 1 or 2 on the thigh and ankle of a person.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Human beings have been decorating their body by wearing clothing accessories of fabric, leather or metal on their arms, neck or legs for many years. One such common form of clothing accessory is a band of wide or narrow material that encircles a part of the body. This practice has continued to today where a person, particularly a lady will wear a necklace around her neck, a bracelet around her wrist and/or ankle, a decorative belt around her waist, etc. This invention is directed toward a clothing accessory which can be worn by a lady.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a view of a clothing accessory that has a top band of fabric connected to a bottom band of fabric with a chain which may be of metal or a plastic that has a silver, gold or colored finish in accordance with the principles of the invention. The top band 12 can be made of a woven or non woven fabric that is either elastic or non elastic, or a flexible plastic where the top band can have a width of between one inch and five inches where a width of between two and four inches, more or less is preferred. The length of the top band can be of one length which is sufficient to be wrapped around different person's upper arms, necks or thighs. In another embodiment the top band can have various lengths where one length is for wrapping around a person's upper arm, a second length is for wrapping around a person's neck, and a third length is for wrapping around a person's thigh. Located at each end of the top band is a fastener such as snaps, hooks and eyes, or strips of hooks and loops commonly referred to as Velcro fasteners. When strips of Velcro are use to fasten the ends of the band together, they can be placed across the width of the band or along the length of the band. When the strips of Velcro are used to attach the ends of the top band together, at least one strip will be located on the front surface of the band and the other strip will be located on the back surface of the top band. When the Velcro strips are placed along the length of the band, the band can be easily adjusted to fit around a user's arm, neck or thigh The top member can have a design, a color such as red, blue, pink, green, etc., or a mixture of two or more colors. In addition the top band can have a pocket 16 which can be located on either the inside or outside surface for holding a cell phone, house and car keys, money, a drivers license, iPod, etc.

Attached to the top band is a flexible connecting member 18 which can be a chain made of metal or plastic and which may have a shinny, dull or satin finish of silver or gold, or a color such as red, blue, green, etc. In another embodiment the connecting member may be a rope made of plastic.

The other end of the connecting member 18 is attached to a bottom band 20 which can be made of a woven or non woven fabric that is either elastic or non elastic, or a flexible plastic where the bottom band can have a width of between one inch and five inches where a width of between two and four inches, more or less is preferred. The length of the bottom band can be of one length which is sufficient to be wrapped around different person's wrists when the top band is around the person's arm, around a person's ankle when the top band is around the person's thigh, or around a person's upper arm when the top band is around the person's neck. In another embodiment the bottom band can be made with different lengths where one length is for wrapping around a person's upper arm, a second length is for wrapping around a person's wrist, and a third length is for wrapping around a person's ankle. Located at each end of the bottom band is a fastener such as snaps, hooks and eyes, or strips of hooks and loops 22 commonly referred to as Velcro fasteners. When strips of Velcro are use to fasten the ends of the bottom band together, they can be placed across the width of the band or along the length of the band. When the strips of Velcro are used to attach the ends of the bottom band together, at least one strip will be located on the front surface of the band and the other strip will be located on the back surface of the bottom band. When the Velcro strips are placed along the length of the band, the band can be easily adjusted to fit around a user's wrist, arm or ankle. The bottom member can have a design, a color such as red, blue, pink, green, etc. or a mixture of two or more colors. In addition the bottom band can have a pocket 16 which can be located on either the inside surface or the outside surface for holding a cell phone, house and car keys, money, a drivers license, iPod, etc.

Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown a view of another embodiment of a clothing accessory 30 that has a top band of fabric connected to a bottom band of fabric with a ribbon which may be plain, colored, have a design or contain a slogan in accordance with the principles of the invention. The top band 32 can be made of a woven or non woven fabric that is either elastic or non elastic, or a flexible plastic where the top band can have a width of between one inch and five inches where a width of between two and four inches, more or less is preferred. The length of the top band can be of one length which is sufficient to be wrapped around the upper arm, neck or thigh of different users, or the top band can have various lengths where one length is for wrapping around a person's upper arm, a second length is for wrapping around a person's neck, and a third length is for wrapping around a person's thigh. Located at each end of the top band is a fastener 34 such as snaps, hooks and eyes, or strips of hooks and loops commonly referred to as a Velcro fastener. When strips of Velcro are use to fasten the ends of the band together, they can be placed across the width of the band or along the length of the band. When the strips of Velcro are used to attach the ends of the top band together, at least one strip will be located on the front surface of the band and the other strip will be located on the back surface of the top band. When the Velcro strips are placed along the length of the band, the band can be easily adjusted to fit around the arms, necks or thighs of different size users The top member can have a design, a color such as red, blue, pink, green, etc., or a mixture of two or more colors. In addition the top band can have a pocket 36 which can be located on either the inside or the outside surface for holding a cell phone, house and car keys, money, a drivers license, iPod, etc.

Attached to the top band is a flexible connecting member 38 which can be a ribbon made of woven fabric, non woven fabric or plastic which may be colored and may be a banner that displays a slogan or a message such as:

-   -   “HELP SUPPORT BREAST CANCER RESEARCH”

The other end of the connecting member 38 is attached to a bottom band 40 which can be made of a woven fabric or non woven fabric that is either elastic or non elastic, or of a flexible plastic where the bottom band can have a width of between one inch and five inches, where a width of between two and four inches, more or less is preferable. The length of the bottom band can be of one length which is sufficient to be wrapped around a person's wrist when the top band is around the person's arm, around the person's ankle when the top band is around the person's thigh, or around the person's upper arm when the top band is around the person's neck. In another embodiment the bottom band can made with different lengths where one length is for wrapping around a person's upper arm, a second length is for wrapping around a person's wrist, and a third length is for wrapping around a person's ankle. Located at each end of the bottom band is a fastener such as snaps, hooks and eyes, or strips of hooks and loops 42 commonly referred to as Velcro fasteners. When strips of Velcro are use to fasten the ends of the bottom band together, they can be placed across the width of the band or along the length of the band. When the strips of Velcro are used to attach the ends of the top band together, at least one strip will be located on the front of the band and the other strip will be located on the back of the top band. When the Velcro strips are placed along the length of the band, the band can be easily adjusted to fit around the wrists, arms or ankles of different users. The bottom member can have a design, a color such as red, blue, pink, green, etc. or a mixture of two or more colors. In addition the bottom band can have a pocket 46 which can be located on either the inside or the outside surface for holding a cell phone, house and car keys, money, a drivers license, an iPod, etc.

Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown a view of the clothing accessory of FIG. 1 or 2 located on the arm and wrist of a person.

Referring to FIG. 4, there is shown a view of the clothing accessory of FIG. 1 or 2 located on the neck and arm of a person.

Referring to FIG. 5, there is shown a view of the clothing accessory of FIG. 1 or 2 located on the thigh and ankle of a person.

While there have been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to the preferred embodiments, it will be understood that the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention and not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Obvious modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiments discussed were chosen and described to provide the best illustration of the principles of the invention and its practical application to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated All such modifications and variations are within the scope of the invention as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are entitled. 

1. A clothing accessory comprising: a first band adapted to be located around a person's upper arm, neck or thigh a second band adapted to be located around the person's wrist when the first band is around the person's upper arm, around the person's upper arm when the first band is around the person's neck, or around the person's ankle when the first band is around the person's thigh; and a connecting member having a first end connected to the first band and a second end connected to the second band.
 2. The clothing accessory of claim 1 wherein the connecting member is flexible.
 3. The clothing accessory of claim 2 wherein the connecting member is a chain.
 4. The clothing accessory of claim 3 wherein the chain is made of metal.
 5. The clothing accessory of claim 3 wherein the chain is made of plastic.
 6. The clothing accessory of claim 2 wherein the connecting member is made of a fabric.
 7. The clothing accessory of claim 6 wherein the connecting member is made of a woven or non woven fabric, or of a plastic.
 8. The clothing accessory of claim 7 wherein the connecting member is a banner for displaying a message of support for a cause wherein the cause can be for supporting breast cancer research.
 9. The clothing accessory of claim 2 wherein the first and second bands are stretchable.
 10. The clothing accessory of claim 2 wherein the first and second bands are made of a plastic.
 11. The clothing accessory of claim 2 wherein the first and second bands have fastener means for attaching the ends of each band together.
 12. The clothing accessory of claim 11 wherein the fastener means are strips of hooks and loops such as Velcro.
 13. The clothing accessory of claim 2 wherein the first band has a pocket located on an outside surface of the band.
 14. The clothing accessory of claim 2 wherein the first band has a pocket located on an inside surface of the band.
 15. The clothing accessory of claim 2 wherein the second band has a pocket located on an outside surface of the band.
 16. The clothing accessory of claim 2 wherein the second band has a pocket located on an inside surface of the band. 